Margaret Bowman (February 14, 1928–August 13, 2018) was an American actress.

Career

Bowman's early career included

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

and Stages Repertory Theater in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. A

method actor Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

, she trained at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

, while in her 50s, when she "decided to reinvent" herself after spending the first part of her adult life as a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

. Bowman was primarily a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

for film and television. Her first on-screen role was "Mrs. Flora Hawkins" in ''The Fulfillment of Mary Gray'' (1989). Between 1989 and 2019, Bowman primarily appeared in bit roles, such as, "Old Nanny" in three episodes of ''

A Woman of Independent Means A Woman of Independent Means is a 1995 American two-part television miniseries starring Sally Field. Sally Field also producer. Field was nominated for Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards. The series was also nominated in ...

'' (1995), and as "Fat Lady" in ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (2013). Bowman would spend her free time observing people and inventing backstories for the characters she imagined they were, saying, "If you want to be a good character actor, you have to observe the people around you." In 1995, Bowman was cast by

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...

in the

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TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' The Good Old Boys,'' as "an old woman, Mrs. Faversham, whose mind has gone." Jones, who had a reputation for being cantankerous, called her work "exquisite." One of her most notable roles was as the "T-Bone Waitress" in the critically acclaimed film '' Hell or High Water'' (2016). Bowman said she "had the character in mind before heeven auditioned," basing it partly on her favorite waitress and partly on her own mother, who "waited tables to support herself, her mother and three daughters" and "then I came along and waited tables to support my family many years ago, so I know what it’s like to stand all day and have your back hurt and your feet hurt." In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, the newspaper described her performance as "scene-stealing." The LA Times said, "She may be an unnamed waitress in ''Hell or High Water''’s diner scene but, boy, does she leave an impression." Actor

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...

said, "it’s one of the most hilarious scenes on film this year. There’s an actress named Margaret Bowman, who had a bit part in ''Waiting for'' ''Guffman''. But in this, she just nails the world’s worst dragon waitress. You just fall in love with her. She has one little scene and she kind of steals the picture.”

Personal life

Bowman raised six children with her husband, Jay, to whom she was married for 68 years. She sang bass in a barbershop quartet for "many years."

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Margaret 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses People from Humble, Texas 1928 births 2018 deaths